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Montgomery Schools Defer Muslim Holiday Vote

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ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — Montgomery County school officials have adopted a calendar for the next school year without taking action on a major Muslim holiday for students.

There has been a strong push in the Muslim community seeking to have schools closed for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. Muslim leaders said Montgomery schools closed for Christian and Jewish holidays.

But school officials noted the Islamic holidays will fall on non-school days in 2014.

The Washington Post reports the Montgomery County Board of Education voted 5 to 2 last week to adopt the calendar. But the board also signaled it would continue studying the issue.

School officials say they can’t legally observe religious holidays. Instead, they say the operational impact of a holiday is key. So they look for high absenteeism on holidays.